


A Change of Heart and Pants

by MasterXploder



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bedwetting, Brief mention of bottle-peeing, Desperation at the computer, Gen, I can do drama too, Maybe not good drama but I can do it, Omorashi, The opening to this is more serious than anything I've done before, Urination, Wetting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-06-09 16:30:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15271599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterXploder/pseuds/MasterXploder
Summary: Contains story spoilers up to the fourth Palace targetHaving undergone a change of heart, Futaba begins her first task for the Phantom Thieves: taking down Medjed before they can cause a severe economic crisis. This requires her to not leave her computer all day, and she really regrets not visiting the bathroom before getting started.Sometime after the Medjed crisis, Futaba embarks on completing her promise list to become a brave, functioning member of society again. The first step is to go somewhere with lots of people. That did not mean she had to use the bathroom beforehand, though she wished she did.(This is an omorashi/wetting desperation story. Reader discretion advised)





	1. Under Pressure on P-Day

“This is your fault!”

A busy city street. A crowd of shadows gathering around her.

“Why don’t you say something?”

_N-No, I didn’t…_

A car dented at the front. A body lying in the middle of the road. Red along the pavement.

“You killed her!”

“She did this because of you!”

The shadows surrounded her, fingers pointed and voices growing louder. She fell to her knees and shut her eyes.

_I didn’t mean to…_

“You deserve to die!”

“When will you wake up?”

_I… deserve…_

“Wake up!”

_To… d-d…_

“Futaba, wake up!”

“H-Huh!?”

Futaba opened her eyes. The street, the shadows, the body, all of it had disappeared. Instead, she saw the ceiling of her room, and the face of Sojiro Sakura, her guardian, holding her shoulders.

“W-what’s going on?” she muttered.

“Take it easy,” said Sojiro, “It was just a bad dream. It’s over now.”

“A dream?” Memories of that horrible nightmare returned to her at once, with all the twisted feelings they created. _If only it was just a nightmare_ , she thought to herself.

“Are you alright, Futaba?” asked Sojiro, “You were yelling in your sleep. I could hear you even in my room.”

It had happened again, another vivid hallucination, this time in her sleep. Futaba could not find the words to speak, and only shook her head.

Sojiro took a moment to sigh and lifted Futaba up to a sitting position. “Come on, let’s get you out of bed. You probably don’t want to keep lying in… that.”

“In… what?” Futaba sat in confusion for a second, but then gasped. She became aware of a sharp smell and a cold, wet feeling against her crotch, butt, legs, and lower back, much too large to just be from sweat.

A glance to her legs confirmed her fears. She had tossed the covers off her bed during her nightmare, revealing a large, dark patch on her futon. Her black sleep shorts had a noticeable shine at the crotch with the light on them, and a slight glisten could be seen on her inner thighs.

“Oh… oh no,” whimpered Futaba, her eyes becoming shiny with tears. “I’m so s-sorry, Sojiro.”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry about it.” Sojiro put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just glad that nightmare is over. Now, why don’t you go run yourself a bath while I clean up this mess?”

She wanted to sit there and cradle herself like the worthless kid she was, but Sojiro would never allow that. “O-okay,” she replied, letting him help her onto her feet.

Grabbing a fresh set of nightwear, Futaba made the slow walk of shame from her room to the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she barely paid attention as she started the bath and removed her wet clothes. While the tub filled, she sat on the toilet and let the tears fall onto her lap, the running water drowning out her sobs.

Sojiro was wrong; this nightmare would never be over for her. Tonight had shown that she was not safe from an attack even in her sleep. Wetting the bed for the first time since she was a toddler only cemented it for her. This was her punishment, and she would suffer for her sins until the day she died like she so deserved.

 

* * *

 

Things couldn’t be any better today. This was the feeling Futaba Sakura had all morning as she walked up the stairs to her room, humming a tune from a retro video game. It had been so long since she felt this way, she had forgotten what it was like to be optimistic about the future. It was like she was almost floating on air with how weightless she felt. Then again, her summer outfit, a sleeveless tank top with a Tetris reference and gray cargo pants, might have helped with that, too.

Of course, this didn’t come about on its own. She had the Phantom Thieves of Hearts to thank for her new outlook on life. They had gone through the ordeal of stealing the treasure within her Palace in the Metaverse, causing the change of heart that made her into the witty and determined girl she used to be. No longer did she think of this house as her tomb, the place she was destined to die in. Now, it was her base of operations where she could do some good for the world.

But first, she had a debt to repay. Reaching the door to her room, she pushed it open and turned around, putting her hands behind her back. “So, be honest. Is this the first time you’ve ever been invited to a girl’s room?”

She looked with a playful smile at Ren Amamiya, leader of the Phantom Thieves, and his cat companion Morgana. At her remark, Ren’s eyes widened behind his glasses and he glanced towards the corner.

Futaba giggled. “Well, it’s not like I’m one to talk. I barely left my room for who knows how long until this morning. I guess you could say you guys were my get-out-of-self-induced-jail card.”

“Er, glad to hear that,” said Ren, turning back to her. “I hate that we’re asking you for a favor so soon, but we’re really counting on you to come through for us now.”

“Right, the Medjed thing,” replied Futaba, “If that’s all you’re asking me to do, I gotta say, I feel like I walked away with all the good loot at the end of a team quest.”

Turning back, Futaba stepped into her room, a shut-in nerd’s paradise if ever there was one. Newspapers and hard books littering the floor, anime character figurines in pristine condition, a high-end computer with several monitors, and a starry curtain blocking out the sunlight created an atmosphere very different from the rest of the house.

Futaba took a seat in her gaming chair and began tapping at her keyboard. “It’s my turn to help out,” she declared. “Hmph, ‘Medjed.’ How do we cook them?”

“Um, I’ll leave that up to you,” said Ren, “Just try not to go overboard.”

“Roger that.”

“Hey, Futaba?” came a voice from behind her, “We don’t have much time left. Are you sure you could do this?”

Futaba turned around and balked at what she saw. “Th-The kitty talked!?”

“I’ll explain it later. Metaverse stuff,” said Ren.

“R-Right.” Futaba looked back at her monitor. “Eh, I guess it doesn’t matter. Let’s get cracking!”

Thus began Futaba’s latest hacking crusade. Her target: Medjed, the anonymous internet vigilantes-turned-cyberterrorists that were threatening to expose all of Japan’s private information if the Phantom Thieves did not unmask themselves. She knew better, though; it was most likely some random wannabe hacker using the name to achieve their own goal. Whoever they were, Futaba was certain she could code circles around them. The computer world was where she excelled; she was not about to let some script kiddie show her up.

 

* * *

 

Morgana paced back and forth on Futaba’s bed, looking annoyed all the while. He glanced towards Futaba, who was leaning into her many monitors, her fingers dancing across the keyboard while the rest of her body seemed motionless in comparison.

“You’re just tapping away over there,” he said, “Are you sure this will work?”

“Mm-hmm… Mmm… Hmm…”

“Hey, Futaba!”

“Heh heh heh…”

Morgana blinked a couple times. “I don’t think she can hear me. Talk about intense concentration.” He glanced around the room, the floors in particular, where much of the hardwood could not be seen underneath all the newspapers, books, and garbage bags. “This place is so messy, I’m surprised she can focus at all. Futaba, you should really clean your room a bit.”

“Huh…”

“She’s not listening…” Morgana sighed. “Oh well, just waiting around is boring. Let’s clean this place up.”

Ren nodded in response, and the two went to work tidying up the room for her.

With her guests not focused on her, Futaba breathed a sigh of relief. As focused as she was, she had still picked up on the part where they wouldn’t be paying attention to her. Now, she could bite her lip and cross her legs a little more without feeling so self-conscious.

In the time since she had started her counterattack on Medjed, Futaba remembered a few things. First, proper computer hacking could take a while. Second, coffee was a natural diuretic. Most importantly, the last time she had used the bathroom was before she fell asleep from exhaustion after awakening to her persona. She didn’t need smarts to know what all that added up to, not when she could feel it pulsing from her groin.

“Mmm…” she groaned from another of her bladder’s many protests. This sort of nuisance was nothing new to her. For as much time as she spent on the computer, she had occasionally wrestled with her bladder trying to pull her away from whatever she was focused on at the time. At one point, she had attempted to use a bottle as an emergency toilet during a particularly lengthy MMO raid. The resulting mess on the floor and chair discouraged her from trying that again.

Not that she was about to do that with others in her room, or let them know of her problem in the first place. They had gone through all sorts of trouble to give her another chance at life, and now they only asked for her help with this one problem in return. What would it look like if she stopped in the middle of her task to retreat for a potty break? Embarrassing for one, it was tough enough to let Sojiro know she was heading for the bathroom.

Even without that, thinking of running to the toilet brought back visions of her past self, the scared girl that would wet the bed and cry in helplessness. She was not that girl anymore. Futaba had been given an extra life, and she would not take a break until the job was done.

 

* * *

 

“Mmmm… Come on…”

An orange glow from the setting sun peeked in around the corners of the curtains. Not that Futaba needed another marker for how much more time had passed. The growing pain in her groin was doing a good job of that by itself. It seemed for every keystroke made, another drop of urine fell into her bladder, only reminding her of how much more work still needed to be done.

She was glad to have glanced behind her when things got really quiet and found both Ren and Morgana had dozed off on her futon. That meant she didn’t have to hide her need to pee any longer. As such, she had formed a pattern of bouncing in her seat, squeezing and twisting her legs together, rocking back and forth, and anything else she could think of to keep her gray cargo pants and 50,000 yen gaming chair dry and stain-free.

But even with all her holding techniques, Futaba’s confidence wavered with each passing minute. Could she really get this all done and still reach the bathroom in time? She certainly couldn’t take a break now, not when Medjed’s supposed cleanse could start at any time. Even so, the idea still proved very tempting. All she had to do was sneak past her sleeping friends, shuffle into the bathroom, sit on the toilet and-

“Eep!”

Just the mental image of letting go was enough to make her bladder jump the gun. Before she could stop it, a spurt of pee shot through her defenses and hit her underwear, creating a wet feeling down there that made her break into a sweat. Futaba hunched forward and shot a hand from the keyboard to right between her legs. She had no choice but to divert all her focus from stopping a massive information leak to stopping a massive waste leak.

Whimpering through her teeth with one eye shut, Futaba wondered if this was her limit. She could not remember the last time she had to go this badly, even including her attempted bottle pee. Her bladder was at the fullest it had ever been, but there was still so much left to do. Was her quest truly doomed to fail here?

No, she couldn’t give up now, not after the Phantom Thieves went through so much trouble to save her. She was free from the cycle of despair and self-loathing that had plagued her for so long; to give in now would be like dropping to her previous form after obtaining a sleek, new evolution.

“I won’t… lose!” She declared as she lifted the hand from her groin and placed it back on the keyboard. “Come on, Futaba, it’s comeback time!”

Furrowing her brow and squeezing her legs harder than ever, Futaba started her last desperate push to finish her challenge. Despite the pressure hitting her just as hard, she entered into a level of concentration unlike ever before, as if guided by some supernatural force. Every keystroke, every mouse click, every last line of code was made with twice the speed and scrutiny.

Even in her zen-like hacking, she was still well aware of how close she was to bursting. The waves of pain continued as always, as did her many motions and moans to keep from soaking everything below her. No matter how much it hurt, she refused to stop. The Phantom Thieves had passed the baton to her, and she’d be damned if she let them down now.

This determination kept her going right to the very end. With a heavy, tired push of the “Enter” key, Futaba set in motion the program that would take down Medjed’s server, only to bring it back up with the Phantom Thieves’ calling card plastered front and center. That wasn’t all; the names of almost everyone associated with Medjed, including the one behind the threats to Japan, would be revealed for the whole world to see.

The program was still in the middle of progress, but Futaba knew she had won. Leaning back and stretching her arms out, she let out a triumphant cry of “I’m doooone!”

“W-what’s up? Something happened?” said a groggy Morgana as he stood straight up from his sudden awakening.

“It’s finished,” Futaba replied.

“Finished? What is?”

Futaba made to turn around and look right at the two, but something else caught her eye first, namely how visible her room’s floor was now. “Ah, it’s so clean! Why?”

“We cleaned it,” responded Morgana in an annoyed manner, “Anyway, is it true? Did you really take care of Medjed?”

Futaba looked around her room, her eyes wide in astonishment. “I handled them, and someone else handled my room! I don’t understand, but this is g-aahh!?”

Futaba’s entire body froze up. Another spurt leaked out, this one going through her underwear and onto her pants. She hunched over and shoved her hands into her legs at once.

“Futaba!” shouted Ren, standing up and running to her side.

“Whoa! What’s wrong?” said Morgana, doing the same.

“Ah… hahhh…” Forming a proper response was out of her abilities at the moment, especially with her face contorted as it was. She could not move a single muscle, no matter how badly she wanted to.

“Morgana, does this have to do with her Palace and Shadow?” asked Ren.

“I-I don’t know! That whole infiltration was unorthodox. Who knows what effects it might have had on her?”

Futaba wanted to tell them her problem was more embarrassing than that almost as much as she wanted to get on the toilet right now. Unfortunately, she knew that neither of those things could happen now. A single motion would break her hold completely, not that it wasn’t about to do so anyway.

Only a couple more seconds passed before it did just that. Futaba squeaked again right as her accident began, starting with a light dribble that would not stop no matter how hard she squeezed. It soaked through her panties and went to work creating a wet patch at the crotch of her pants. This wetness spread downwards to her butt, forming a pool that gave both cheeks a good bath.

“F-Futaba?” asked Ren.

Morgana sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. “Wait, is this…”

“Oooooohhhhhh!”

In that moment, Futaba realized that trying to hold it back any further was pointless. This battle was lost, so she may as well get it over with. As such, she closed her eyes, and let her pee come out in full force.

The effect was immediate. A faint hissing sound started up, making Morgana’s ear twitch. The golden pool at her bottom grew outwards, becoming visible to everyone in the room. It spread to the edge of her seat, where it spilled off the chair and onto the carpet in a series of piddling drops. A bit of urine continued down her legs as well, leaving wet trails along the back of her pants and damp spots on her socks.

At first, Futaba’s mind remained devoid of thought, like a hard drive spinning without loading anything. All she could focus on was all the senses of her accident, the smell and touch growing stronger by the second. Towards the end, however,the harsh truth of what happened set in. A complete failure to hold her pee like a normal person, getting it all on her chair, with people important to her there to witness everything; she had officially hit the worst-case scenario. Her face as red as Ann’s thief outfit, Futaba opened her eyes and let out one last groan as her bladder finished emptying in the worst possible way.

“I don’t think this has anything to do with her Palace or Shadow,” commented Morgana.

“I see that now.” Ren put a hand behind his head and did his best to only look at Futaba’s head. “Are you okay?”

I am the least okay that I could be possibly be right now! is what she wanted to say. The feeling of lukewarm urine all over her lower body and the smell of ammonia brought back memories of the night she had wet the bed. All the crushing emotions from then rose up, and she could feel her eyes watering and clouding her vision.

A sound from her computer pulled her attention away. She looked at the monitor and found a new pop-up box front and center, the word “successful” sticking out like a rare drop from a felled enemy, and remembered what was truly important here. Against all odds, Futaba had prevailed in taking down her target. Sure, it had still been a messy end for her, but it didn’t matter. For a moment, her accident seemed so inconsequential when she had just saved all of Japan from an economic crisis. Her frown slowly closed and lifted into a small smile. “Gotcha.”

“Futaba? You’re really starting to worry us,” said Morgana.

“Hmm?” Futaba remembered the other two present. “Did you guys say something?”

“We’ve been saying something for awhile.”

“We’re just worried, that’s all,” said a red-faced Ren, “Are you sure you’re feeling well?”

“Oh, um, y-yeah, sure! Why wouldn’t I be fine right now?” Futaba stammered.

“Futaba...” Morgana muttered with a worried look.

Futaba looked away and sighed. “Okay, so peeing my pants was not part of Operation Medjed Meltdown. Definitely not the greatest moment of my hacking career.”

“I’m sorry about this,” said Ren. “We didn’t mean for you to push yourself so hard for us.”

“I mean, we were pressed for time today,” admitted Morgana. “I guess neither of us realized how long hacking really takes.”

“This wasn’t your fault,” said Futaba, shaking her head. “I got so excited about helping you guys out and doing some good for the world, and I ended up making a noob mistake. If my mom were here right now, she’d be trying to help me and reprimand me at the same time.”

Both Ren and Morgana glanced away, unable to think of any way to respond to the delicate subject.

“But, you wanna what the weirdest thing about all this is?” continued Futaba, “I’m… not really that upset about this.”

“Y-You’re not?” asked Ren.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s super-embarrassing, and if you say a word of this to anyone, I’ll have to tell Sojiro that you were being mean to me.”

“Er, y-you don’t have to worry about that,” Ren quickly responded. Even Morgana formed a bead of sweat at the threat of an angry Sojiro.

“But like I said, this isn’t upsetting me as much as I thought. If this had happened just a few days ago, I would’ve wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and pray that I would just die already.” She once more thought of the night she wet the bed. Even when steeped in her pee, it seemed so long ago now, like a memory from a previous life. It was enough to make her smile a little. “But this? This doesn’t hurt nearly as bad. It almost feels like… victory.”

“Victory?” asked Ren.

Futaba’s smile dropped away as she caught another whiff of her waste. “Aaaand victory feels really gross now.”

“I’m surprised you’ve been sitting in it all this time, to be honest,” said Morgana, twitching his nose again. “You should get cleaned up. Ren and I can handle the mess for you in here. It’s the least we can do.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Futaba, “But, I think I have a better plan right now.”

Not waiting for a response, Futaba grabbed the pillow at her seat, patted it dry of any pee, and set it on the desk. She then flopped her head on it, and was lightly snoring within seconds. After everything she had been through today, a good, long nap was just too tempting to pass up. Knowing that there would be no nightmares to plague her anymore made it all the better.

 

* * *

 

“W-wow, she really fell asleep just like that?”

Both Morgana and Ren stood in dumbfounded silence for a while before they could speak again. “She didn’t even do anything about her accident, either,” the cat continued.

“Should we help her out somehow?” asked Ren.

“I don’t know what we could do. It doesn’t look like she’s waking up anytime soon, and she definitely wouldn’t be happy if we tried to move her or change her clothes.” Morgana paused to sigh. “And I thought Yusuke was pretty strange.”

“You mean stranger than a talking cat?”

“I am not a cat!” snapped Morgana, shooting Ren a fierce look before returning to Futaba. “Still, this girl is quite a handful. She’s gonna need you guys’ help if she wants to be a Phantom Thief.”

“You may be right,” said Ren as he looked over Futaba. The poor girl had been through so much, and yet there was no mistaking the smile on her face as she snoozed without a care in the world. “But something tells me she’ll fit right in with us.”


	2. Confidant Rank-P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to Sake for editing

Sunlight. Warm weather. Chirping birds. People walking and talking all around. The various roars and beeps of traffic nearby. Not that long ago, these would have been the bane of her existence, something she would have done anything to escape from. Today, however, they were things she could tolerate, at least while she was close to home, where an escape route could easily be planned.

But she needed to do better, not just for her sake, but for all of her friends and the people who needed her help. This was why Futaba was squatting outside of Leblanc Cafe one summer Sunday afternoon. She had been mentally preparing for the task that lay before her today. It had nothing to do with going into the Metaverse or battling sinister shadows. No, this task was far scarier than that, something she had nearly talked herself out of doing several times: going somewhere with a lot of people and getting used to being around large crowds, as she had written on her promise list.

Thankfully, she wouldn’t be going alone; Ren would be by her side. That was the plan, at least, but it required that he was actually present first.

“What’s he doing in there?” Futaba asked herself as she checked her phone again. Twenty minutes late now. She wondered if Sojiro had tied him up with some dishes to wash or something. She could always go in and see what the deal was, she supposed.

That, and she had another reason for going into Leblanc. Her morning coffee and just-for-building-confidence energy drink had been working through her body while she waited, and they were reaching their last destination before they would exit her body. Her squat especially didn’t help, since her bladder couldn’t tell the difference between it and the position she took whenever she made use of a squat toilet.

“Okay, bathroom time!” She stood up and stretched her arms and legs. If she was gonna finish her task, using the toilet beforehand would be a smart idea. It was like her video games, after all; proper prepping could be the difference between success and failure.

But before she could take a single step, she heard the bells jingling above Leblanc’s door. Out walked Ren in his casual clothes, with no bag or Morgana in sight.

“Oh! There you are,” said Futaba. “Took your sweet time getting out here, huh?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Ren rubbed his head. “Boss had me do some prep-work before I could leave. Dishes, cooking food, stuff like that.”

“Heh, figured he roped you into something again. Guess I’m not the only one who needs you as a Key Item.”

“Er, the what?”

“It’s nothing,” Futaba said with a giggle. “But speaking of Sojiro, we should probably let him know what we’re up to today. Can’t have him thinking you kidnapped me or something.”

Ren nodded, his eyes holding a bit of fear at the thought.

With that, the two headed back into Leblanc. Futaba could feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness coursing through her. She was about to get started on her first promise list since childhood. It wouldn’t be easy, but she would give it her all, and she knew the best place to get started.

 

* * *

 

Akihabara was like heaven on Earth for anyone into the geek scene. Stores for tech and machinery for the nerd in everyone ran up and down each street, with loads of shoppers going in and out every day.

It was the perfect location for Futaba to learn how to overcome her fear of crowds. The many displays of brand new electronics would help keep her distracted from how scared she was. It was also somewhere she had been to before, even if that trip would have ended badly if not for Ren saving her at the last second.

Futaba looked up at Ren as they walked through a large and busy chain store. She had already noticed in that prior trip, but it was rather strange how just being around him had a calming effect on her. Even surrounded by strangers and noise with her heart pounding, she didn’t want to run away and hide under a blanket and laptop. She could actually focus on things other than how anxious she felt, like the nifty features on that new laptop, or how ridiculously overpriced those headphones were.

Her biggest focus, however, was how bad she needed to pee now.

Futaba realized her mistake the moment she and Ren crammed into the first subway. Being wedged between so many strangers got her anxiety up, and that always made her need to pee worse. Again, Ren’s presence kept her fears from going out of control, but there was little he could do for the other problem.

It felt like ages had passed before they finally stepped off the last subway. Her nerves calmed down not long after, but her bladder felt just as full. She knew full well the solution to her problem, and had turned to Ren a few times already to try asking him where the bathroom was. Each of those attempts ended with the question dying in her throat.

Whenever she looked at him, Futaba couldn’t help but recall the day she took down Medjed for the Phantom Thieves. She didn’t acknowledge at first, but it felt nice to show off her hacking skills in front of an audience. That was, until she peed her pants immediately afterwards, with Ren and a talking cat there to see it all. It didn’t make her wish for death like she had told them, but it was still a humiliating experience that she would rather forget as soon as possible.

She had no doubt Ren hadn’t forgotten about that incident, and mentioning her need to pee would bring that memory front and center. She couldn’t let that happen, not when she was doing everything she could to make herself a capable, semi-sociable individual again.

Instead, she had a better plan: wait for Ren to visit the bathroom, then slip into the ladies’ room while he was gone. No need to even say anything, then; he probably wouldn’t even mention anything once she got back. All she had to do now was play the waiting game and act inconspicuous all the while.

“You okay there, Futaba?”

“Huh?”

Perhaps she needed to work on the inconspicuous part. Futaba looked to Ren like she’d been caught peeking at another student’s paper during a test. “Um, sure! Doing okay here, yep, that’s me!” she quickly answered, standing up tall.

“Er, alright then,” said Ren with a slight head-tilt.

He might have said it, but Futaba knew he had to be concerned for her, scrutinizing every last move she made to see if she was hiding something. She had to distract him, somehow. It was a long-shot, but she would have to use a skill that she was still a novice at: smalltalk.

“Hey, did you see that tablet earlier? Whoever drew that was a real pro,” she said, “Not as good as Inari, though. He’s got a particularly pervy view on art.”

Futaba looked away the whole time, not wanting to see if Ren’s inquisitive stare still piercing through her. If she couldn’t think of a way to placate him, then she just had to hope something else would take his focus off her.

Just as she thought that, a loud commotion started up next to the two.

“Wh-Whoa, what’s going on!?” said Futaba as they turned to find a crowd near them.

“There’s a super-limited sale at the PC section!” yelled a skinny man.

“Three terabytes for only 500 yen!? What a steal!” declared a black-haired woman.

“That’s gonna sell out in seconds!” said another man as he jogged past the two.

He was not the only one. Futaba and Ren felt a rumbling of people moving all at once behind them. They turned around, but it was already too late: a massive crowd rushed past, too dense to avoid anyone. Before Futaba knew it, she felt herself being dragged along its numbers, the sheer body heat and density making it hard to breathe.

“Gah! Ren! Help! Teammate pulled by horde!” she yelled, flailing her arms in an attempt to break free.

Almost as quickly as she was pulled in, the crowd came to a stop. Futaba knew this would be her best chance of escape. Pulling her arms back down, she made use of her small frame to squeeze through the mess of unfamiliar faces while they remained unaware of her presence. Eventually, she stumbled out of the crowd like someone lost in a corn field, landing on her hands and knees. _Oh sweet personal space, how I missed you!_ she thought while she took the moment to breathe.

“Well, that was one experience I wasn’t expecting today,” she said as she stood up, turning towards Ren.

Ren was unable to respond on account of not being there.

“Uh, R-Ren?” Futaba looked around, scanning the dozens of faces around her. Not a single one belonged to her friend. It only now dawned on her that she was the only one pulled away by the crowd.

All by herself in the middle of the city, surrounded by strangers; Futaba had reached her worst-case scenario. She could hear her heart beating faster even with all the commotion around her. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead, and her hands began to shake.

But worst of all, her bladder let off a sharp pang of pressure, forcing her legs together from the knees up. As her anxiety grew, her faith in her ability to hold it dropped in response. She could already picture herself standing in a puddle with soaked pants as a crowd stared and judged, the words “Game Over” hanging above her head while tears flowed from her eyes. At the rate things were going, that fantasy seemed destined to become reality.

_No!_ Futaba clapped her hands to her head. _This is just the first task on my promise list. I’m a Phantom Thief, I can beat this no problem!_

Despite her attempt to calm herself, Futaba could still feel her heart beating faster with each second. She had to act before her anxiety could take over, or it would be mission failed on level one. With trembling hands, Futaba pulled out her phone and called Ren’s number, doing her best to ignore that she was calling a boy around her age. One ring, two rings, and then…

“Futaba? You okay?”

Hearing his voice made Futaba feel like she was in a post-apocalyptic film and had just made contact with another living person.

“M-Mayday, mayday,” she started, looking around herself. “I’m trapped in the Home Appliances Kingdom. The Three Terabytes war rages on outside. There are just… so many people…” Another pang from her bladder forced her to put a hand to her groin. “Hrgh… I don’t know if I can last much longer. My heart’s pounding, and I… I really have to-”

A dial tone interrupted her. She looked at her phone and saw the words “Call Failed” in an ominous red color. Her plan to stay put while helping direct Ren to her was not going to work now. He’d have to comb the whole appliance section to find her first, and between her panicky brain and bursting bladder, she simply couldn’t wait that long. She had to get back to where they got split up, and fast.

Keeping one hand between her legs, Futaba stepped off in the direction the crowd came from. She bit her lower lip and whimpered while passing what seemed like dozens, no, hundreds of strangers, each one looking more intimidating and judgmental than the last. She could only wonder how many of them were looking at her and thinking snide remarks about the strange girl walking by.

_Aah, don’t think about that!_ she chided herself. She needed to stay focused on her target, the scruffy-haired and bespectacled Ren. Her fearless leader wouldn’t let anything stop him, especially not being lost in a store. He would be calm and suave and totally in control like usual.

Most importantly, he would be standing right over there, which he actually was.

“Ah!” Futaba ran to him just as he was about to take off somewhere. “There you are!”

“Futaba!” He turned to her, his worried frown disappearing.

“I… I, I, I…” With everything she was feeling, Futaba couldn’t begin to think of a response.

“I was about to come find you,” said Ren.

“Oh…” Futaba looked at him and smiled. “Th-Thanks. I didn’t think I was gonna see you until the end of time, but then I thought about you while I was wondering around the store, and bam, a wild Ren appeared!”

Ren chuckled. “It’s good to see you again.”

“So you’re relieved? What an incredible coincidence! Me too.” Back by his side, Futaba could feel her heart slowing down and muscles relaxing. With the terror of the crowd in the past, she felt like the rest of this trip would go smoothly now.

“Aah!?”

Until a spurt into her underwear reminded her of something she had neglected for far too long.

Futaba’s face contorted and hands snapped back to her groin to keep anything and everything else from slipping through her defenses. Time was running out and she knew it; if she didn’t find a bathroom soon, she’d be tripping the instant-fail condition of this quest right at the tail end.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she heard Ren ask.

“Nngh, bladder status critical! Need toilet now!” she managed to say.

“A… bathroom?” Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Now!”

“R-Right! They had some at the entrance. This way!” said Ren as he stepped forward.

“Th-The entrance!?” Futaba’s pupils shrank. It already felt like she couldn’t take more than a couple steps. The front of the store may as well be on the other side of the city. _Curse you, real world, and your lack of fast travel!_

While she fretted, she didn’t notice Ren walking around her until he felt his hands on her bare shoulders. She jumped a little at the contact, but was otherwise rooted to the spot.

“Come on, Futaba, you got this,” he said. “Just take it one step at a time.”

“I…” _really don’t think I can make it!_ she wanted to say as she looked up to Ren. That thought died once she saw his eyes, full of confidence and concern for her. She had no idea if he knew, but looking into those eyes made the impossible tasks feel beatable, like getting a special new power right before the final boss.

“A-Alright,” she said. “There, now, please!”

Futaba lowered her head and closed her eyes, letting Ren guide her steps through the store. With each step, she felt her bladder tremble, fearing that it would be the one that burst the dam. Even with how weak her hold felt, she refused to give in, not when her friend believed in her. She didn’t think about how many people were potentially looking at her, or how far she still had to go to reach the bathroom. All of her focus was on taking that next step, making sure she could keep it all in for just that little bit longer...

“Futaba, we’re here!”

“Huh?” Futaba opened her eyes. Right in front of her was the door the ladies’ room, a sight so good that she had to wonder if she wasn’t just suffering from some pee-induced delusion. She would figure that out soon enough.

“Aah, BRB!” she declared as she pushed through the door, disappearing from Ren’s sight.

A nice, clean bathroom greeted her, with an open stall at the end. It wasn’t more than a few meters, but Futaba knew they would feel like miles. One false move here, and her efforts would be in vain.

_Come on, just a little further!_ she thought as she squeezed herself especially hard, steeling herself for the desperate run to come. “All-out attaaaaack!”

Throwing everything she had into this last dash, Futaba rushed forward, one hand firmly between her legs while the other caught and closed the door as she stepped inside the stall. Once it locked, she faced the toilet, discovering it to be the Western sit-down kind. She thanked her lucky rolls that Sojiro’s House had one of these, so she was well-trained either way.

Turning around, she wiggled in place while undoing her belt and zipper. Once undone, she executed her super move of yanking down her cargo pants and Feathermen-themed panties while falling back onto the toilet.

As soon as her butt landed on the seat, the last of Futaba’s holding strength gave out. It started with a light dribble falling straight down, the noise of each drop distinguishable from the other. The floodgates slowly opened from there, growing into a powerful, erratic, yellow-tinted spray, much of it crashing into the water while a bit still hit the surrounding bowl. The room filled with a loud splashing noise coupled with a strong hiss. If anyone else was in the bathroom, they would have no doubt as to what was happening in her stall.

None of it mattered one bit to Futaba. Not the noisiness of her pee, not having to do it in a public bathroom, or the desperate march she made through the store to get there. Against all odds, she had averted disaster and made it to the toilet, with only a single spurt into her panties counting against her. It was a mission accomplished by the skin of her teeth, and  a victory worth celebrating.

Leaning her head back, Futaba shut her eyes and opened her mouth into a big smile. Lost in her delirium, she let out a sound that was part-sigh and part-laughter, not unlike a hyena’s laugh. Anyone else in the bathroom would think she was a demented girl, but how else was she to express her relief and joy with this tingly sensation coursing through her?

Her pee went on like this for who-knows-how-long. Futaba certainly didn’t; it seemed like years passed before her stream slowly died away, turning into a light trickle for a little bit, then stopping altogether. Her big smile died away as well, though a bit of the tingle remained.

Futaba paid little mind to it, however. The high of her pee time had passed, letting her become more aware of her situation again. Sooner or later, she would have to leave this stall and face Ren and anyone else who saw her desperate march. Suddenly, she didn’t feel so much like celebrating anymore.

But first, she needed to clean herself up. Turning her head, she reached out for the toilet paper.

“Wh-What!?”

Her smile dropped entirely as she saw the dispenser completely void of any paper, her arm trembling in the air. She was officially stranded on the toilet without a lifeline, a situation she had never considered happening despite her many hours spent preparing for this outing. She couldn’t even begin to think of a solution to her problem.

Facing forward, Futaba let her arm down, content to sit there and let her anxiety build. However, her hand didn’t fall to the side like she expected. Instead, it landed on a panel next to the seat, the palm pressing a button.

“What th-GYAAAAAH!?”

Futaba didn’t even have the time to process that when something far more important got her attention. Beneath her lap, a spray of water shot from the bowl, landing a critical hit right at her weak spot for massive damage. Her eyes and mouth shot open as sensations and emotions of all kinds bombarded her brain.

It was too much, too fast for her liking. She fumbled along the panel, mashing buttons faster than she did for any video game. Each one made the pressure and aim go all over the place, giving her bottom and elsewhere a good soaking. She eventually found the off button, but the damage was done.

_Yup, I’m done here!_ Futaba stood up and patted her behind at lightning speed, only getting it to a cool dampness before pulling her pants back up. She shivered at her underwear making contact with the wetness. _Please don’t show up on my pants!_

From then on, Futaba’s only thought became of leaving the bathroom. She certainly did not want to think about the lingering tingling at a certain part of her, at least not until she got back to her room where she would be totally alone again. Her mind went elsewhere while she washed her hands, scrubbing for much longer than necessary. Afterwards, she stuck a paper towel down her pants to try and properly dry those places, for as much good as it could do by then.

Seconds later, she creaked the bathroom door open and crept outside, where Ren turned to her at once. His eyes went down to her pants then back to her red face and fogged-up glasses.

“Um, you alright there?” he asked.

Futaba kept her head down while she spoke. “C-Can we, um, please b-be somewhere, er, not people-y?”

Ren looked as if he was about to ask something else, but instead nodded and motioned for Futaba to follow. She walked behind him like a puppy following its mother, not caring where she ended up, just so long as it was not here.

 

* * *

 

“Will this do?” Ren turned to her and asked.

Futaba looked around at the alleyway Ren brought her to. While she could still hear and see people walking nearby, she knew this was probably the most privacy she could ask for. That, and the short walk outside in the fresh air helped to cool her down after… that happened. Her face wasn’t so red, and her glasses were no longer fogged up from the heat on her face.

“Y-Yeah, it’s good enough.” Futaba turned back to Ren, her hands behind her back. “Uhh, so… good news: I didn’t have a nervous breakdown or an accident on this trip!” She looked up with a shaky smile.

A couple seconds later, and that smile fell back to a frown. “And that’s about where the positives end.”

“Is that not good enough?” asked Ren.

“Are you kidding? I almost wet myself in front of you a second time. I don’t even wanna think about all the people who might’ve seen me being marched to the bathroom like I’m five years old.” She let out a sigh as if she were deflating. “My performance today was like bronze-medal caliber at best.”

Ren shrugged. “I thought you did alright.”

“At least you agree with me… Wait, what?” Futaba looked up in confusion.

“You found your way back to me when we got split up all on your own. That’s something to be proud of.”

“I, well…” Futaba rubbed her head. “Yeah, I did do that. Still, I wanna go out one time without embarrassing myself. Just be like a total NPC, that’s all.”

Ren chuckled. “You’ll get there. It just takes time. Think of it…” he scratched his chin for a moment. “Like your RPG’s. You don’t hit the max level from only one quest, but each one gives you more experience than you had before.”

“Th-That…” Futaba’s eyes widened like a kid on Christmas. “That makes perfect sense! Why did I never think like that before?” She lifted her arms and looked at Ren with a smile. “Okay then, I won’t stop until I’ve completed all my tasks and maxed out my social skills tree. You can count on that!”

Ren only smiled, for he didn’t need to say anything else.

“Alright, just gotta remember a few tips next time we’re out. First, think of you if we end up getting separated again. Second, absolutely visit the bathroom before we go anywhere.”

“See, that’s the spirit,” said Ren.

“Third, bring emergency toilet paper in case the bathroom doesn’t have any.”

Ren only blinked in response.

“Oh, and maybe we should zip-tie our arms together so there’s no chance of us being split up again!”

“Um, Futaba…”

“Hee hee, I’m just joking!” _About that last one, at least._ She sighed and let her arms fall down, slightly swinging from the momentum. “Phew, I know we haven’t been here long, but I feel worn out.”

“We did go through a lot today.” Ren stepped forward. “We should probably head back.”

“I guess so,” said Futaba, turning around and setting off. “It feels kinda weird, though. We came all this way to Akihabara, but we didn’t buy anything. Would’ve been nice to have something to take back with… huh!?”

Futaba stopped in her tracks, her jaw wide open.

“What’s going on?” asked Ren at her side.

Futaba lifted an arm and pointed straight forward. “Is that a retro gaming store?”

Ren followed her hand to the storefront, its windows filled with old video games and merchandise. “Looks like it,” he said.

“And someone I know happens to have a FamiDrive at their place. Mwehehe…” she turned to him with a smirk. “Come, Ren, it’s time to start your education of the classics.”

Keeping that smile, Futaba set off towards the store with Ren in tow. Even with her fatigue, she was not going to miss on the chance to help bring him into her world. It was the least she could do after everything he had done for her. After this, she would have to keep working at her promise list and give it her all as a Phantom Thief. _Look out, world, here comes Futaba!_

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to Nikeryda and Sake for editing.


End file.
